beauty, glamour & gloss

Sunday, September 25, 2011

Just wanted to post a quick apology for the lack of posts... I'm having trouble with loading photos and until that's sorted out, I can't really post properly. For me, a blog post needs to have decent photos.

I see that I lost 2 followers recently, which is disappointing, but as I haven't posted recently, I can't really complain.

Another thing is that I'm finding the task of coming up with interesting posts difficult.

Huge thank you to everyone who continues to visit my blog and leave comments... I will try and get back to blogging regularly soon! x

Sunday, September 11, 2011

I have been wanting to change my hair for a while now. However, as I had so much black/dark brown dye on it, getting it lighter would have taken ages. My hairdresser was not kidding when she said it would take at least a year! Last July I started by having the black base colour removed from my dye mix and I just had a light brown applied every few weeks. So, as you can imagine, I was thrilled when she said I could have highlights!

I spent 3 hours in the chair yesterday and here's the end result...

I had 1/2 head of bleach highlights and it lifted really well :) It will take a few more weeks until I can go a bit lighter all over, but I'm aiming to go for a Jennifer Aniston mix of caramel, honey, chocolate and blonde. It has to be done gradually so I don't reck my hair, but it will be worth it.

I also bought a couple of things yesterday. First up...

Chanel Poudre Universelle Libre

This powder is fantastic. Feather-light, it sets foundation beautifully. The MUA matched me with '20 Clair - Translucent 1', which is the perfect match for my NW15-NW20 skin tone.

The pot is a huge 30g so it should last a long time. The puff it comes with is cute, but I apply it with a powder brush.

I was also amazed to find this when I went to Waitrose yesterday...

Korres lip butter has been on my "to get" list for some time. I've heard good and bad reviews, so I wanted to test one for myself. So when I saw almost all of the Korres range on the shelf of Waitrose yesterday, I was pretty excited :) They had a few, but I chose Pomegranate.

This one is lightly scented, has an amazing texture and is very pigmented. As you can see, it gives lips an almost juicy look, which I love. I'm planning on getting the Guava one, as this looks like a nice pale shade that will down my very-naturally-red lips. I also want to get their Watermelon Scrub, which smelt incredible.

My MAC goodies arrived on Friday too...

I've been applying the Future Length Lash Serum since Friday night (you need to apply it twice a day) and I wore Vegas Volt out yesterday.

Please Me is lovely, but very matte, so Im planning on wearing it with a pale nude gloss to give it depth. Vegas Volt is just fine on its own ;)

Thursday, September 08, 2011

Please excuse the shallow title... I just really like beauty products ;)

I managed to get a few things recently that I have been wanting for ages. First up?

NARS Acapulco

I don't tend to buy candles (I really can't stand joss sticks, insense and other things like that) but just reading the description of this immediately made me want it. The scent is difficult to describe, but if you love a mix of rich coffee, chocolate, cream and vanilla, then you need this :) The candle is bigger than I thought it would be and you get 270g for your money. The wax is black and when first lit it gives off little wisps of black smoke. A sign of a quality candle is when the wax melts evenly (rather than leaving a hole in the middle) and the above photo shows that NARS makes good candles.

MAC goodies

I bought a Studio Fix compact in NW20, Lustre Drops in Pink Rebel and some Prep+Prime Lash.

The compact is great, but it's not as full-coverage as I thought it would be. I tend to wear it to work and am currently switching between this and Face & Body in C1.

Pink Rebel is amazing... I would liken Lustre Drops to Strobe Cream as it gives such a great highlight. The bottle might be tiny, but just a tiny drop is enough. I've never tried this product before, but the sales girl in Jolly's (Bath) was no nice I found myself persuaded! :)

She also "persuaded" me into getting Prep+Prime Lash. This is essentially a base coat for your mascara. It goes on white and dries clear. I wore it under MAC Plushlash and it applied so well. I find that it makes my mascara last much longer. I've just ordered their new Future Lash Serum, which will arrive tomorrow and I can't wait to try it. It claims to dramatically improve the condition of eyelashes in 8 weeks and I'm willing to put this claim to the test!

An amazing find from Topshop

This is Head Over Heels cream blush and I love it. I have been looking for a wearable coral-toned blush for ages and this fits the bill. Although it's a cream formulation, it dries to a lightly powdered finish. I tend to apply it to the apples of amy cheeks, wait a couple of minutes and then dust a bit of MAC MSF in Soft and Gentle over the top. This changes it from a matte coral to a bronzed coral shimmer. Wow! It's really unique and I can't recommend this combination enough. At just £6, it's also a bargain.

Finally...

I love this mascara! But, I didn't at first. This is because the girl on the Benefit counter applied it over the mascara I was wearing and it made my eyelashes look ridiculous. Basically, I looked like a 5 year old who was let lose with her mum's mascara ;) However, I couldn't stop thinking about it and I was desperate to get one and try it on naked lashes. I ordered it online and I'm so glad I did. It's jet black, glossy and unlike any other mascara I've tried.

Along with my Prep+Prime Future Lash Serum, I've ordered 2 lipsticks: Vegas Volt and Please Me. It's also Friday and pay day! Saturday is being spent at the hairdressers, so I shall post pictures over the weekend.

Sunday, September 04, 2011

Aside from the usual mundane things (washing, tidying up, etc) I love nothing better than grabbing the iPad2 and looking at items on my favourite websites. Today was no exception! I ordered this from hm.com

This fabulous poncho is part of their new collection. I tried it on when I went to Bristol on my birthday back in July and loved it. For some reason, I didn't buy it then, but I kept thinking about it.

I'm so glad I waited until today, because when you sign up to receive their newsletter you get 25% off (one item only). Sold :)

You just tick the box to say you want to receive their newsletter and then you get an email with your code. Simple!

This poncho is a bargain already at £24.99, but it came to just £22.64 including delivery with my discount :)

It comes in 2 other colours and I think it's the perfect thing to wear with jeans for a day out shopping. If you want to snap one up and get a great discount, just go to ww.hm.com x

Hope you're all having a lovely Sunday... I got my NARS Acapulco candle delivered to work on Friday and I love it. Blog post on it will follow next week :) I also ordered a Benefit They're Real mascara (which was waiting for me when I got home on friday) and I love that too :) As I didnt go anywhere special this weekend, it was nice to relax and do some online shopping.

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Whilst in Bath on Bank Holiday Monday - and having just eaten an amazing meal at Jamie's Italian! - my husband and I had a look round the shops. Having been round the main shops on Saturday, I wasn't planning on getting anything else. Until I went to Office and saw these in the window...

I have heard about these shoes in various magazines and have wanted a pair for a while. There was lots of different colours, but these ones in "Ash" appealed to me the most :)

TOMS shoes have a great initiative... For every pair sold, they donate a pair of TOMS shoes to a child in need. They go to Africa twice a year and take dozens of pairs of shoes. The images printed on the box are heartwarming... It shows the TOMS shoes volunteers putting the shoes on the children and their faces are lit up.

The back of each shoe has TOMS stitched on the back. I love the contrast between the grey and blue.

Leather insoles make them really comfy

They cost £32.99 from Office and there are striped versions for £36.99

I already want another pair in navy blue :)

Have you purchased a pair of TOMS and contributed to their "One for One" cause?

If you want to read more about the initiative, you can do so at www.TOMS.com

Saturday, August 20, 2011

It was hard to choose my August favourites! I have been trying a lot of new things over the past few weeks, some great, some awful (Clarins mascara, I'm talking to you!)

Here's a few of my August favourites...

Haircare

I love these two products!

This is my second bottle of Chroma Sensitive and I cannot fault it. I'm not a fan of every Kerastase product, but I love this!

The label m Honey & Oat conditioner is basically the TIGI/Bedhead one! This smells amazing and when I've used it, I can smell it on my hair for hours afterwards. The bottle is 300ml, so you get more than you would if you got the TIGI version.

I came across this product by accident. Whilst on Boots' website, I clicked on a link to their '10 Most Viewed Beauty Products'. As it had 138 5-star reviews, I was intrigued!

Then, the best bit of all, I saw that they had an offer: any 3 Lee Staffford products for £12 (not including minis or the Aragan range). As this product is normally £7.99 a pot, getting each one for half price was a bargain! I bought the last 3 today.

My hair has no problem growing, but I do tend to lose quite a few hairs each time I wash/brush. I'm hoping that this will bring some life back to my hair. Watch this space! ;)

Jo Malone

Let's admire the gorgeous packaging before moving on to the goodies inside ;)

In addition to the Necatrine Blossom & Honey cologne that I aleady have, I bought these just over a week ago: Orange Blossom cologne (30ml) and Nectarine Blossom & Honey hand & body wash. I love thins combination! I start by showering with the hand & body wash and then a spritz of Orange Blossom. Fnally, a light layer of Nectarine Blossom & Honey is sprayed over the top. It smells amazing - like nothing else I've smelt before. I can't resist sniffing my wrist whenever I wear it :)

Skincare

I have really cut back on the amount of skincare products I use. This is after discovering that some of the products I was using was irritating my skin :( So, my skincare routine consists of:

Monday, August 15, 2011

If you're a fan of Liz Earle, I'm sure you'll have heard about the new product that's launching in September...

Sheer Skin Tint

This was delivered to me on Saturday and I immediately had to try it!

It will come in 3 shades (Bare 01, Beige 02 and Beach 03).

I chose Bare 01

I applied this to my hand so you can see how a thick layer looks. I do not wear it this thick! ;)

The texture is very creamy - much thicker than my MAC BB. However, the formulation is a lot more sheer. I would show a picture of it on my face, but it really doesn't show up!

I wore it out shopping on Saturday and dusted a light layer of BareMinerals over the top. I was pleasantly surprised to see that it lasted all day :) The added bonus of SPF15 is also a big plus for me.

Here's the science...

"Our new Sheer Skin Tint is the natural bridge from skincare through to colour. It is rich and creamy like a foundation, yet so lightweight it glides effortlessly onto the skin, blending easily to enhance natural skin tones. We believe in exceeding our customers' expectations, so just like our award-winning Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser, Sheer Skin Tint delivers dependable, visible results for all skin types. Designed for use all year round, our unique, high performance formulation leaves skin looking dewy, even and radiant, with the perfect level of coverage for every woman to achieve naturally beautiful skin.

Another bonus, if you are planning on buying this in September, is that they are offering something unique...

"To support our 'Progress not Perfection' environmental values and our 'Reduce, Re-use, Recycle' campaign, when customers order Sheer Skin Tint by mail, we are providing samples of all three shades with each first purchase. This is to help customers ensure they select the right shade, first time - before they open their full-size product, which will help us avoid unnecessary landfill of good unused product."

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I'm a 29 yr old British beauty blogger that's passionate about luxury-branded makeup, skincare and cosmetics but like anyone else I love a bargain! This blog is my outlet for sharing my views on beauty products and I will always be open and honest. I hope you enjoy reading my posts as much as I have enjoyed writing them x